The 2007 HealthLeaders Annual CIO Survey reflects how the fabled "IT project" is morphing into what might be dubbed the "clinical project with an IT component." More than three-fourths of the 191 respondents either have or are forming an IT steering committee with representation of the organization's top executives. The fact that CEOs sit on more than half these committees reveals the importance of IT in the modern hospital. It also explains why finance, physician and nurse executives often have seats at the planning table, as well. Curiously, more than one third of the CIOs in the surveyed hospitals report to the CFO. That might be a throwback to the legacy information system days when hospital IT mostly comprised ADT and billing functions. Or it could underscore the heightened ROI expectations hospitals have around multimillion dollar clinical IT investments. Indeed, many of our respondents will be spending big on clinical information systems in the years ahead-nearly half will "substantially increase" their budgets. For the vast majority, those IT budgets are less than 3 percent of total operating revenue, so there is adequate room to expand spending. That's good news for IT vendors. But given the fact that "best of breed" environments are still outnumbered, that money will be spread around. For now, medication administration technology is a priority; it dovetails nicely with the wireless infrastructure already in place at the vast majority of respondents' hospitals. Many hospitals are thinking big here. Not only will they barcode medications, but equal numbers aspire to a "closed loop" medication administration system in which transactions are tracked from start to finish. Patient safety remains a clear IT driver.One place to which technology dollars will not be flowing right away, however, is the patient portal. Despite the hoopla about personal health records and Web-savvy patients, only 4 percent of the respondents have an interactive portal in place now. For 41 percent, a patient portal is three or more years away. The cynical view might be that hospitals will continue to focus inwardly, delivering technology that enhances the lives of the staff first, the customer second. I imagine it has more to do with limited resources, however, and the fact that the jury is still out on patient-centric technology as a market differentiator.Any survey, of course, has some flaws, and this one does not purport to be a scientific sample-though respondents represent a nice mix of hospital categories. Self-respect, if not human nature, invariably figures in. Nearly half the respondents described themselves as "early adopters" while only 11 percent confessed to being "behind the curve." A more objective measure might well have reversed those numbers, especially if you consider interactive patient technology at all important.
Gary BaldwinTechnology Editorgbaldwin@healthleadersmedia.com
Magazine
